Pacers snap 5-game losing streak thanks to Aaron Nesmith's late 3, clutch play vs Grizzlies

Aaron Nesmith‘s 3-pointer with 13.8 seconds to go Wednesday served as the clincher in a desperately needed stop-the-bleeding victory for the Pacers in Memphis.

The Pacers halted a five-game losing streak to improve to 3-6. The Grizzlies started Wednesday with the second-best record in the Western Conference but fell to 6-2.

Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers with 22 points and five assists. All-Star forward Pascal Siakam scored 20 points and passed out of a trap to hit Nesmith in the corner for the clinching 3-pointer. Nesmith scored 16 points, guard Quenton Jackson had 13 and former Purdue and Westfield star Braden Smith had 10 points and five assists. Guards Cedric Coward and Ty Jerome led the Grizzlies with 23 points each.

Here are three observations:

Pacers inspired on both ends by early-season struggles

Andrew Nembhard was asked in his postgame on-floor interview by Pacers sideline Jeremiah Johnson what led to “this kind of all-around performance.”

“I think our performances lately,” Nembhard said. “We’ve been below standard.”

On Wednesday night they simply seemed to raise their level across the board, as they also seemed inspired by the six-man motley crew that took the Hawks to the brink on Monday night. They were extremely active on the defensive end, causing 19 Grizzlies turnovers and recording 10 steals and turning that into 24 points off turnovers. They made it hard for the Grizzlies to get anything easy on offense, holding them to 45.1% shooting including 12-of-44 from 3-point range. They got contributions up and down the roster, but their most established veterans helped them close the game out as Nembhard and Siakam combined for 22 second-half points, Nesmith hit the clinching 3-pointer and Obi Toppin scored nine points after the break, coming through with critical finishes in transition when the Pacers fell behind. They fell behind by as many as eight points in the second half but easily erased that lead.

Braden Smith earns second start and capitalizes

Braden Smith’s performance in the Pacers’ valiant effort in defeat Monday earned him a second straight start after he had played just 18 minutes and scored one point in the Pacers’ first seven games. His performance Wednesday might have earned him the right to start at least until one of their established point guards — Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell — return from hamstring strains.

Smith scored the Pacers’ first four points and had a part in their first nine. He scored the first points of the game by picking off a pass and taking it the distance for a layup. After getting another bucket in the lane, he found Siakam for an easy layup on a throw-ahead pass and then teed Siakam up for a 3 with a slick under-handed kickout pass after getting the Grizzlies defense to collapse.

Smith is undersized at 5-10 and it shows more in the NBA than it ever did in college as the Grizzlies tried to hunt him to get their bigger wings matched up on him for post-up baskets. However, the trade-off seems to be worth it on a number of levels. For one thing, he’s brought offensive direction the Pacers were missing prior to Monday as he’s shown elite passing skills, the ability to get the ball into the paint and also an excellent short-to-mid-range scoring game. With him in the game, the Pacers’ offense flows and moves the ball in a way that much better resembles what it looked like in their playoff seasons when Haliburton and McConnell were running the show. And despite the physical shortcomings, Smith fought on the defensive end to make it as difficult on the Grizzlies as he could and to get his hand on the ball for deflections and steals.

Smith finished 5 of 9 from the floor for 10 points for his second-straight double figure game and dished out five assists against three turnovers. He recorded two steals and even had two blocks including one on a Ty Jerome 3-point attempt. The Pacers were +2 in his 23:35 on the floor.

Ivica Zubac struggles in return vs Zach Edey

Ivica Zubac got back on the floor for the first time in 10 days after spraining his ankle on Oct. 25 in the Pacers win over the Nets. The Pacers clearly missed his size, his presence, and simply the luxury of having three nominal centers and more total bodies available. However, they didn’t get much in the way of production in his first night back.

The Grizzlies had an answer for Zubac in the middle with former Purdue superstar Zach Edey and that clearly frustrated Zubac. He scored just one point on 0 of 5 shooting. He had two assists, but two turnovers. The four rebounds he posted were helpful, but ultimately the Pacers were -22 in his 18:47 on the floor.

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers snap 5-game losing streak thanks to Aaron Nesmith’s late 3, clutch play vs Grizzlies